T-34
T-34/76 The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II. First produced at the KhPZ factory in Kharkov (Kharkiv, Ukraine), it was the mainstay of Soviet armoured forces throughout World War II, and widely exported afterwards. It was the most-produced tank of the war, and the second most-produced tank of all time, after its successor, the T-54/55 series. In 1996, T-34 variants were still in service in at least 27 countries. The T-34 was the most important weapon fielded by the Red Army in World War II. When first produced in 1940, commentators considered it one of the finest tank designs in the world. Sloping armour increased protection and made it, at all sides, nigh invulnerable against the then current Panzer III and IV models. Its 76.2mm gun was capable of destroying its early opponents at ranges of up to 2000 meters. Its V-2 diesel engine used a less flammable fuel, while its Christie suspension was fast on rough terrain with wide tracks, which gave low ground pressure for good mobility in mud and snow. By mid-war, the T-34 might have no longer technically outclassed its opponents but it remained effective in combat. The T-34 (German designation: T-34/76) was the original tank with a 76.2 mm gun. Our T-34 is the Model 1942 variant OT-34/76 The OT-34 was a T-34 with an ATO-41 or ATO-42 Flamethrower, wich replace the DT machinegun in the fuselage. T-34/76 Pillbox After T-34/76's have been damaged, the Soviets remove the turrets and use them as pillbox bunkers in 1942. They use them on the Mototov and Stalin lines. Of course, the Germans took the same idea to built there own fortification lines with turret bunkers. Pzkpfw 747® German military intelligence in World War II referred to the two main production models as T-34/76 and T-34/85, with minor models receiving letter designations such as T-34/76A—this nomenclature has been widely used in the West, especially in popular literature. When the German Wehrmacht used captured T-34s, it designated them Panzerkampfwagen T-34®, where the "r" stood for russisch ("Russian"). The Finnish Army used T-34s until the 1960s. These were captured from the attacking Soviets or purchased from Germany. T-34/76 Model 1942 In early 1942 came the better model D turret, a sub-product of the abandoned T-34M project, which was a great improvement over previous models. Notably, the big hatch was removed and replaced by separated hatches (dubbed "Mickey mouse" by the Germans) with, at the fall of 1943, a new specially-designed all-round vision commander cupola. Despite of this, production cost was halved and production time reduced by 50%. This version of the T34 also had the ability to mount external fuel tanks for increased range. In 1943 T-34 production rate was about 1300 per month. You can find it on most Eastern Front maps starting from Kharkov Outskirts and ending by early 1944. ScreenShot14.jpg ScreenShot13.jpg ScreenShot12.jpg T34.jpg T-34/85 In late August of 1943 high ranking officials of the Soviet armaments industry discussed the difficulty that the T-34/76s 76mm F34 gun had in dealing with the new, heavier, German tanks that had appeared during the summer, especially during the heavy fighting at Kursk. They concluded that The T-34/76 might need a more powerful gun to more easily deal with these new threats. This was the new T-34/85 and was equipped with the powerful 85mm ZiS-S-5 gun, a weapon on par with the Tiger's 88mm KwK 36. This was placed in a bigger 3-man turret with a TSh-16 sight. The T-34/85 began to reach the troops in the winter of 1944. The turret allowed the crews to fight more effectively. With the apply of the Mesh Screens, the T-34/85 have more defense against the enemy anti-tank rocket launchers. BF1942 2013-11-30 12-52-47-55.jpg BF1942 2013-11-30 12-53-01-78.jpg BF1942 2013-11-30 12-52-56-92.jpg BF1942 2013-11-30 13-01-23-85.jpg OT-34/85 The OT-34/85, sometimes called TO-34, was a T-34/85 with an ATO-42 Flamethrower, wich replace the DT machinegun in the fuselage. BF1942 2013-11-30 13-04-55-02.jpg BF1942 2013-11-30 13-05-20-26.jpg BF1942 2013-11-30 13-05-11-89.jpg BF1942 2013-11-30 13-05-06-74.jpg BF1942 2013-11-30 13-05-30-55.jpg BF1942 2013-11-30 13-01-23-85.jpg Derived vehicles in FHSW * T-34/57: Tank destroyer, main gun was replaced with 57mm ZiS-4 L/73 * SU-85: Tank destroyer * SU-100: Tank destroyer * SU-122: Assault gun See also * List of Soviet vehicles in FHSW External links * Wikipedia entry Category:Soviet Ground Vehicles Category:German Ground Vehicles Category:Medium tanks Category:Tank destroyers